So, I've been reading quite a bit of the oil concerns of the R56, and other models I'm assuming as well. I recently had a strange knock which only lasted a minute or two until the car warmed up. When I added oil, the problem went away.

Forget about the difficulty of reading the dipstick! I read in the manual the car should notify owners when the car requires oil. However, I just dropped the car off at the dealer and requested an oil change. When they called me today, they said the car was two plus quarts low... What? I asked him why the car didn't let me know this issue.

I was told by the tech, who isn't a mechanic, but the check in guy that our minis don't have a sensor to let us know when to add oil, but only warn us when there is one quart or so left and to shut down the car! He said he believed this to be true, but I asked him to verify when I pick the car up tomorrow. I fail to see the value of such a sensor. Can anyone verify this for me or is a sensor in my car bad?

Lastly, I know these cars are turbo, but does it really burn this much oil? My car doesn't smoke or blow blue clouds. I do drive the car fairly hard, but wow. I also don't have a clue on how to read the damn dipstick. I've run the car, taken the dipstick out and wiped it clean and still have no idea of the oil level.

Am I missing anything?

Thanks in advance.

 

I would learn how to read the dipstick. Sorry to say but it is not rocket science. I am able to read the dipsticks on both of our cars even with a fresh oil change. It just takes the right light is all. It's not hard. Most cars use some oil. Some more than others. But cars that are turbocharged and "driven fairly hard" as you stated need to have the oil checked weekly. If it's down a bit you just top it off. Most cars will not let you know when they are low on oil but they will let you know when they are critically low on oil. It's more of a fail safe than anything else. Even a car with an oil pressure gauge can still show acceptable oil pressure with 2 or more quarts low on oil. As long as the pickup is picking up oil and not air.

I have to think that you misread or misinterpreted what the owners manual said. I have an R56 and R58 and I don't see where it states that.

Most oil related problems in a Mini are because the owners fail to check the oil often enough or not at all until it's too late.

I bet the dealer would be willing to show you how to check your oil.

 

I agree, one of the first things I asked was to have a tech teach me to read the dipstick. I agree I must have misread the manual. However, weekly readings of the oil seems a little excessive. I don't redline the car at all but like to drive the car fast.

I would think a monthly check for me seems appropriate. I drive the car about 300-400 a month as it's my second car. I appreciate the feedback!

 

As far as I know there is no oil level sensor. Not one to say when to add oil and not a sensor to indicate 1 quart left.
What this and most other cars have, is a sensor to indicate low oil pressure.
Low oil pressure can be caused by several reasons... one of which is (very) low oil level. The oil warning means catastrophic engine failure is imminent and you should immediately pull over and stop the engine.

There are a few exotic cars that have oil level indicators....

 

I understand. My other car is a '10 BMW M6 and believe me eats oil. It will tell me when to add a quart of oil. I guess I assumed the BMW electronics in the Mini would do the same. Oh well, gives me something to do on the weekends!

 

While Mini is owned by BMW, none of the Mini engines share the new BMW trait of having no dipstick, and relying on an oil level sensor. All engines use oil. On the MINI the crankcase vapors get recycled back to the intake and then burned in the cylinders. (hence the need for an oil catch can...) BMW/MINI says that using 1 qt of oil every 1000 miles can be NORMAL. That's before they will actually do anything about it. Most burn/use a lot less than that.

All the MINI has is a low pressure warning. Period. When it lights up, you are already probably screwed.

There is no 1 qt left sensor, the service advisor is an idiot.

Check your oil level every other gas fillup, and while you're at it, check the tire pressures too... It's also a good time to remove the french fries, and burger parts that fell between the seats while you were driving, along with wiping any spilled beverages...

It's called owning a automobile.

 

Well checking your oil once a week is a little excessive but checking it every fill up or every other fill up is not excessive.


Remember Bristish cars leak oil and German cars burn oil. So we kind of have a hybrid of a car. And if you want a gauge there are plenty of places that sell gauges. You can plug on in and help maintain your oil.

 

I've had this 09 for about 4k miles and it doesn't look like it has burned any oil...as long as I'm reading the dipstick correctly. It kind of concerns me that I'm not burning any if 1qt per 1,000 is considered normal. That seems excessive.

 

yeah my uncle is a technician for nissan but I had him show me how to read the dipstick when i first got my car. but nothing about this car is easy when it comes to oil lol ... my first oil change it took me years to find the oil filter until i gave up and looked online for it ... but take everyones advice here as i did lol

 

Burning 1 qt/1000 miles really isn't normal, it's just that BMW says it could be within the operating parameters.

 

A good way to check your oil, especially when new, is to put the dipstick on a clean paper towel after pulling it out to see where the oil line is.
Steve

 

I wonder how long the OP went without changing the oil?

I know that MINI says not to do it till the onboard computer says to, and I don't want to open the oil change "how often" discussion yet agaon, but anecdotal evidence suggests doing it more often than just relying on the computer - at least once a year is recommended by MINI - I do mine every 7,500 miles and it's worked well for me - my engine is as clean as when it was new. Some turbo MINIs have had an issue with the oil return line getting sludged up - in every case those folks had been following the "when the computer tells me too" routine, so as an inexpensive preventative, maybe change the oil at least once a year?

 

And as long as we're at it...it is clear that "top it off" isn't literal, right? In this context, what's meant is "add enough oil from the quart so that the oil level showing on the dipstick is [normal / acceptable / as desired]".

A few posts read as if from folks who weren't all that familiar with adding oil and checking the oil level...didn't want anyone to remove the filler cap and add oil till it was "topped off", yikes!

What's meant is: add "a bit", let it drain down, then re-check the level. Repeat as needed.

It could be worse: on my BMW motorcycle, a sight glass is provided. Barely visible through a small porthole in the fairing/bodywork, about mid-shin level for me. The "top it off" process for it is: add some; wait; hands-and-knees, peer at the sightglass; swear; repeat as needed. :-)

 

Another dipstick thread had a great solution: Pull the dipstick out about an inch and let the oil drain overnight. When you check the oil the next morning there will be a clear line (I just tried this last night).

The dipstick takes a convoluted path through the timing chain cover. The timing chain cover tends to fill with oil, and it covers the dipstick when it is passed through. By pulling the dipstick out enough to have the O-ring clear of the tube, the oil can drain easily out of the timing chain cover and give a clear reading on the stick. Kudos to Czar for this tip.

I have had some success checking by rollling the stick against a paper towel and using the towel to read the level. Try the overnight method.

Mike

 

I keep reading this simple method, but how do you know if the oil on the towel is showing you the oil level in the pan or the oil that got wiped off onto the dipstick when you pulled it out? I love my MINI, but it is absolutely INSANE that they can't design an easily read and accurate dipstick.

 

If you have the dealer change the oil at 7500 miles, does that reset the computer so that the next one is at 22,500 (15k + 7500?). I know you have to pay for the 7500 mile oil change, but will they still do the one at 15K free?

 

No, I change it myself in between the dealer change interval, so the computer runs the same - it doesn't know when I change it.....and yes, they still change it for free as normal.

But now that I'm out of the "free" maint period, I'll probably not mess with resetting it till the 15 k intervals. I also keep records in the service manual....

 

Well, you're pulling the dipstick UP and out, right? So any residual oil on the dipstick by the friction of removing it from the guide tube would deposit "down" the dipstick (i.e. toward the pointy end), which, by my imagination, would not provide a false reading. To me reading it isn't hard, just different.

In response to others, I had my SA grab a tech to explicitly demonstrate how to read the dipstick accurately. I find that I'm adding from 1/2 to a full quart every 1500-2000 miles, depending on how hard I drive her. Definitely add the oil to a cold engine and let it settle for some time; overnight is a good timeframe. For us forgetful types, I do this and leave my bonnet open (in the garage of course) to remind me to check the stick in the morning.

 

Porthos: Every fill-up = once per week for me
Sorry that this is long, but...
I have a slightly ****-retentive method for checking the oil level
I remove the dipstick, wipe down, re-insert it most, but not all of the way, remove, wipe, re-insert, and do this a few times.
In effect, what is being done is getting out the oil that was deposited in the tube when you first removed the dipstick.
After this process results in a clean/dry dipstick, only then do I fully insert the dipstick and remove it to check the oil level.
I understand that this seems excessive, but it does work.
First time I tried this, I checked the oil level in my usual manner of removing the dipstick, wiping, reinserting, pulling out and checking the level.
Oil level was all of the way to the top of the measurement area on the dipstick.
Next, went through the process I described above and found the level to be in the middle of the measurement area.

 

Thanks for this tip. I used this method today. Seemed to work as I was getting almost nothing on the dipstick after 4-5 times of going most of the way in. Next, after going in all the way, I was still reading full. Maybe I'm just not burning any oil. I find it hard to believe, though.

 

My 2010 MCS has been very good with oil usage, and I simply haven't had to add oil between changes. And yes, I do check it periodically. I'm kind of old-school about things like that, and have always done my own oil changes, among other things. I'd rather not lose an engine due to trusting the car's electronics to prompt me for service. And besides, as was mentioned earlier, if the oil (pressure) light comes on, it may already be too late.

Note that a MINI oil change is really not that difficult when compared to other cars we've owned ('88 Civic wagon comes to mind), that bury the filter on the backside of the engine, where you can only reach it from underneath. I remember having to remove the Civic filter once by punching a screwdriver through it and getting an oil bath while trying to loosen it. My, how we laughed. You couldn't even fit a standard filter wrench in that little space.

Spridget